Summer Social and Rodeo at Shakespeare Ranch 2017

Shakespeare Ranch at Lake Tahoe

A professional rodeo, the classic Motown group The Commodores and celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse headlined Keep Memory Alive’s Summer Social and Rodeo at Shakespeare Ranch, a Western-style weekend of fun and fundraising that has become an annual tradition.

The festivities kicked off Friday, July 28 with the rodeo, which featured bull riding, barrel racing, carnival games, a watermelon-eating contest for kids and a Western barbeque. The rodeo is the successor to the Glenbrook rodeo, which was discontinued in 1965 but resurrected in 2000 by Camille and Larry Ruvo, along with the McGill family.

Saturday began with a private lunch and tour of Lori and Michael Milken’s home. The Milken Foundation is a long-time supporter of Keep Memory Alive and collaborator with Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.

Then, world-renowned chef Emeril Lagasse’s culinary cowboys took the reins in the kitchen to prepare an extraordinary dinner at Shakespeare Ranch. Guests enjoyed the best of his signature cuisine, with a selection of fine wine and spirits. The evening culminated with an intimate performance by The Commodores.

Long-time Nevadans Rhonda and Don Carano and the Carano family were honored with the Keep Memory Alive Community Leadership Award. The award pays tribute to individuals who have displayed outstanding effort in community improvement as well as philanthropic achievements for the state of Nevada.

The Caranos are loyal supporters of Keep Memory Alive. What the couple most enjoys about Keep Memory Alive’s events, says Rhonda Carano, is “the camaraderie of hope. There are the entertainers and auctions, food and fun, but of course, the goal is to find a cure. Today, Alzheimer’s is like cancer: Most every family has a member who has been a victim, but research can change that. Don and I will do anything we can do to support the research, technology, and education of others to reduce the pain families endure due to brain disease.”

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